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| The opening scene of Humans utilises a cold opening, and presents a range of highly effective combinations of mise-en-scene, editing and cinematography to construct a series of highly pleasurable hermeneutic mysteries for the target audience |
To what extent is this scene typical of its genre?
Knee-jerk reaction: This scene is highly typical of the science fiction genre
Examples
- Soundtrack, especially the music is highly typical of the science fiction genre. The electronic techno soundtrack uses synths and drum machines, with highly repetitive themes. This is highly conventional of the science fiction genre
- Use of synths and synthetic music draws attention to themes about artificiality
- The montage of stock footage of the development of synths functions as a proairetic code, informing the audience that this will be a key theme. Additionally, it provides a fascinating narrative constructive that allows the audience to identify the show as science fiction
- Opening scene uses a range of harsh whites and muted greys, which communicates a depressing science fiction atmosphere
- Opening shot of ECU of synths eye emphasises the MES of the unnatural eye, and communicates to the audience a sophisticated intertextual relay, as it makes explicit reference to the 1982 artificial intelligence film Blade Runner. This allows Humans to cynically target a pre-existing audience
- Cold opening, where little information is given, which provides a compelling narrative to the audience, and forms many hermeneutic codes
- Opening credits uses a fast paced montage of stock footage that introduces themes of artificial intelligence, sex, and technology
- Uncomfortable mode of address
- The opening scene from Humans uses a number of science fiction conventions to establishing the setting to the audience.
- Opening montage over the opening credits shows a variety of futurisitic mise-en-scene, including robots, machinary and other other technology
- Opening ECU of eye functions as an intertextual reference to the science fiction/artificial intelligence film Blade Runner, to establish to the audience the specific subgenre that Humans belongs to
- Low angle, extreme long shot of the moon symbolically connotates the notion of humanity, and reinforces the subgenre of the TV as being related to artificial intelligence, emotions, and what it means to be human
- Ground level tracking shot of a range of apparently human figures standing motionless in a warehouse constructs a confusing mode of address for the target audience, constructing a sense of mystery, and also creating interest
- Choice of colour palette is cold and clinical, with blues and whites being favoured. This choice of colour is highly conventional of the science fiction genre
- MES of almost naked, motionless humans functions as a proairetic code for the audience, and creates a suggestion of sexual purposes for the robots. This clearly foreshadows a key theme of humans
- The synthetic techno soundtrack proairetically symbolises themes of fakeness and also science fiction conventions
- Many of the conventions could also belong to the horror genre, creating an unsettling and disturbing atmosphere for the target audience. This is a classic and effective example of generic hybridity